One night, One Kiss
by hollow-eyed
Summary: After the War Ginny returns to Hogwarts to escape her problems, to forget everything. And then something happens than she never could have imagine, she falls in love with a ex-death eater, and all it took was one kiss. DM/GW.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

Chapter 1:

The beautiful, scarlet train whistled impatiently at the stations as families crowded around each of it's entrances, counting children and checking trunks. The atmosphere was significantly different than the previous year. There was no coldness, no fear. Everyone was jolly, chatting and laughing, while occasionally looking back at their little huddle near the end of the train station.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stood apart from the other families. They had all become some sort of celebrities since Voldemort's downfall three months before. "Seriously they won't stop for one second," said Hermione flipping her hair and starring with narrowed eyes at the young boy who was snapping pictures of them.

"I would have thought you guys would have gotten used to that by now," muttered Harry, his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.

Ginny didn't mind the pictures so much, what she did mind was the gossip. It seemed every week a different false rumor about her and Harry appeared in the headlines. Everything from impromptu weddings, and hidden pregnancies, to violent fights, and harrowing break-ups. The reports were having a field day with what they deemed "the golden couple". It made her sick. Harry was wonderful, but he certainly came with a lot of baggage.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" said Ron, one of his arms around Hermione's waist and the other holding up her trunk.

"Of course Ronald!" she half-hissed. "Education is very important, and I still feel that I have a lot to learn."

"Oh, come on Hermione, we defeated Voldemort, what can the Proffs really teach us now?"

"A little humility?" teased Ginny.

The train whistled a second time and looking down at Harry's watched she realized these were their last couple minutes together until December. "I'm going to miss you," he said as they embraced, his lips brazing her ear.

"Me too, but it's not like we're not used to be apart." She kissed him and Ron gagged in the background.

"Seriously?" said Hermione.

"I'm an older brother, this is part of my job description," he said as Ginny and Harry continued kissing.

To distract him Hermione put her own around around his neck and they too snugged. More photographs went off in the background and several people cheered. Hermione then levitated both of their trunks and the girls alone went through to the train's compartments leaving their boyfriends behind with the crowd of parents.

"It feels so strange going without them..."

"What feels strange is that we're now in the same year," said Ginny as she spotted Harry through one of the windows.

They entered a vacated compartment and sat down, their trunks over their head, and Crukshanks curled around Hermione's ankles. As soon as they were comfortable the train began pulling out the station, steam rising to the top of the windows, as they got their last view of the crowd, and of Harry and Ron's faces in it. They sat in silence a few minutes and then Hermione pulled out a book and Ginny was left with her thoughts.

If truth be told Hermione wouldn't have been her favored companion. The two girls got along alright but she was simply too focus on school. It was a miracle Harry and Ron had put up with her so long. There had been several moments of tension between them these last few months - specially because Hermione felt the need to quiz Ron and Harry on school work all the time as if to prove that they would benefit from a 7th year at Hogwarts.

For her part Ginny was going away to school again, not so much for it's benefit, but because her home felt too strange at the moment. Her parents were still in mourning. Fleur was pregnant. George was devastated. And Percy, who she alone could not forgive, was prowling around the house and comforting their mother like none of this was his fault. She crossed her hands over her chest - getting away was what she needed. Even from Harry.

Things were strange and different between them now. He was still the same old Harry, kind, generous, handsome, but sometimes Ginny didn't feel like the same old Ginny. Was it possible that the war had affected her more than it did him? Sometimes she found herself crying in the middle of the night. Sometimes the very though of Fred made her want to kill someone, anyone. Sometimes she thought she was going crazy. She had never known this grief existed, how had Harry dealt with it for so long in such silence?

Maybe she didn't know him so well after all...

ooOoo

During the sorting ceremony Ginny sat between two of her old classmates, Ella, and Maryn, with Hermione seated across the table. There were lots of stares and instantly Ella began questioning her on all things Harry. "I'm so happy you two got back together, what is it like this time?" she said loud enough for half the table to hear.

"The same," Ginny lied, with a fake smile on her face as she moved closer to Maryn.

Out of all the girls in her year (of which there had once been 6) only 3 of them had chosen to return for a seventh year. The other three had suffered big losses during the war, one of them had even ended up an orphan. This meant that Ginny, Ella, Maryn and now Hermione were the oldest Gryffindor girls and the only ones occupying the seventh year dormitory.

Without really seeing them Ginny watched the crowd of skinny 11 years old be lead by Flitwick through the middle of the Great Hall and towards the 3 legged stool with the sorting hat. It seemed was strange to think that last time she had been in the Great Hall had been immediately after the battle, when they had all been crowding around and crying on Fred's mangled body. The very through made her cold. She could feel lots of other people had this on their minds. The room was more solemn than ever before.

As the sorting took place Ginny looked over at the each of the tables for familiar faces. She found lots of eyes looking at her. Several of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs she was acquainted with waved or smiled, and Ginny returned the gesture somewhat awkwardly. However as she looked over at the Slytherin table she saw something she was not expecting. With one gasp she leaned across the table and grabbed hold of Hermione's arm.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

Ginny nudged, to the spot on the Slytherin table where the pale, proud face of Draco Malfoy was at that very moment starring straight back at them. "What is he doing here?" she said her hand clasped to her mouth.

"Who!" said Ella much too loudly.

"How did they ever let him back in after all he did! His parents are still on trial," said Hermione with a resolute shake of her head.

For the sake of the ceremony they spoke no more until the last eleven year old had taken a seat and their food had appeared but neither girl could shut up. "What is McGonagall thinking!" said Ginny as she pierced a turkey leg with her fork. "How many death eaters has she let in!"

"She has to have her reasons," Hermione said calmly, staring up at the Headmistress in her modest black robes. "Professor McGonagall is brilliant, she would never do anything to put the students in danger."

"This is a disgrace!" said Maryn. "I mean he's a Deatheater, after all they've done."

"I don't know," said Ella quietly, a pretty smile twirling on her lips. "He does look good."

At once eight pairs of eyes lifted and stared at the pale boy in black, seated so quietly at the corner of his table and without his usual group of friends. That was one thing they could all agree on. Draco Malfoy was more handsome than ever.

ooOoo

As the feast rolled to a close Professor McGonagall stood up and the room eased into silence. She looked with stern eyes at the hundreds of students before her and spoke with a magically magnified voice: "This has been a hard few years for us as a community," she began and several people nodded to themselves, or else looked at the vacant seats between them were fallen classmates should have been. "Everyone in this room has lost dear ones. We have all suffered because of this war, but now is the time to more forward, not with vengeance, but with fortitude.

"This is to be a very different year at Hogwarts. My colleagues and I have agreed that the special circumstances of our pupils should be taken in account. You may find each of us whenever you please. We will make ourselves readily available to you in case of distress or confusion. On top of this we will be forming grief groups where as a school we would talk about all we have lost." She smiled then, in her illusive way. "This is a year for compassion students. This the first year of a new era. An era of complete equality. An era of understanding. The Ministry is being revolutionized from the inside and so shall Hogwarts.

"But for now, I bide you all, a good night, and good dreams." She took a seat as the clapping ensued.

Hermione were look at each other. "Compassion," said Hermione, her clever eyes focused on her favored teacher.

"Equality. Understanding," whispered Ginny beneath her breath. "She is preaching compassion, equality and understanding!" She shook her head. "That why she let Malfoy in here. She's giving him a second chance."

"Malfoy had a second chance. Dumbledore gave it to him the night he died. This is his third chance."

The girls were silent and then slowly began to rise with the crowd and make their way to their dormitories. It was a long night, that first one. Ginny tossed and turned. Tormented by the sight of Malfoy, and haunted by Fred's face, his laughter, the wicked gleam in his eyes as he went around his various mischievous. At four in the morning she woke up for good, got dressed in the dark and went down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

How many times had they all sat here, lighting fire crackers and playing chess? She wondered as she looked at each of the chair in turn. Sighing, she went through the portrait of Fat Lady and down the corridor, awash with the first of the morning light. Ginny walked around empty passages and hallways for what felt like an hour until she found a great big window and took a set beneath it watching the pink and gold sky.

"Miss Weasley, is that you?" came a voice from behind her and she turned automatically to see a thick-set boy in Slytherin colors and holding a camera.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing. I don't think you know me I'm Annatol Haztov, and you of course need no introduction. The beautiful red-head who is secretly married to the boy who lived." He was gleaming from ear to ear, the camera pointed straight at her though it hadn't flashed once.

"Yeah, that's me."

"So you really are married?"

Ginny shot him an annoyed glance. Who was he to ruin her morning. "Go away."

"Oh, I'm not bothering you. Just being friendly. Are you really pregnant, cause you don't look it." He was staring at her flat tunny intently.

"I said go away!"

"You don't own the hallway Miss Weasley, I can stand where I want," he said and for the first time the camera flashed.

Ginny stood up. "Well then I'm leaving and you better not follow me or I will jinx your camera into non-existence." She reached for her wand inside the pocket of her robes but found nothing. She searched her other pocket while the boy stared and snapped two more pictures. Had she left the dormitory without her wand? How could that have happened?

"Is something the matter?" he muttered.

"No," she turned hastily from him.

"You're missing something are you?"

Ginny stopped in her tracks, and turned her head slowly to see Annatol holding two wands in his camera-free hand. In an instant she was marching back to him her face set. "Oh, I wouldn't come any closer Miss Weasley, if you do I might have to hex you for self-defense," he muttered his smile curling upward as he pointed his wand straight at her chest.

"Give me back what's mine you fucking tosser."

"Absolutely."

She reached out her hand.

"All I want in return is a short interview."

"Piss off!"

"And take your wand with me?"

She made a fist and seriously considered hitting him for a moment, but not only was this guy taller than her he was a lot larger. That wouldn't fare well, and he could possible record the incident so that it looked like she was a maniac. "I'm only going to say this once more, give me my wand back or you will be sorry."

"Oh, you gonna call Potter back to Hogwarts to protect you? Well baby I would love that. Get the story were it needs to go," his face was turning red from amusement. What a truly ugly guy he was. "My first question is easy princess, how good does the chosen one fuck?"

Ginny's face paled of all it's color. "What the hell kind of reporter are you?"

"The pervy kind," he answered. "And that's just be beginning," he twirled her wand in his hands as he took another picture of her. "Now kindly answer the question."

"No way!" said Ginny, turning over her sorry option in her head.

"Come on, it won't hurt you any."

Ginny's jaw tightened. Even if she went to McGonagall the boy could forge a perfectly good excuse. He could just say he had found the wand, and with all her equality and non-revenge McGonagall would probably buy it. "I want another question."

"Very well, when was the first time you and Harry Potter had sexual intercourse. Plus I need all the details."

"And why would that be?" came a steady voice from being Annatol. Ginny looked over his shoulder to see Draco Malfoy in his black and green robes, his wand at the ready.

"M-Malfoy," the boy stammered.

"What are you doing?" he said the words slowly, his eyes narrowing. All her life Ginny had seen Malfoy as the pettiest sort of Villain but it was evident the war had changed him too. The boy that stood in front of her was not just handsomer, he had acquired an aura of power. "Is that her wand?"

"This?" he lifted it up. "I was just-"

"Give it back to her now," even Ginny was taken a back by the commandingness of his tone.

"Yeah, of course," he muttered throwing the wand back to her. Ginny caught it instinctively, her eyes on Draco.

"Now get out of here, and stop hassling her," he instructed. Quickly Annatol backed out of the hallway leaving Ginny and Draco alone for the first time in possible ever.

"I'm not going to thank you," she said quietly, glancing at her wand. "And this little incident doesn't make up for all the shit you've done to us over the years."

He shrugged, staring past Ginny to the large window.

"It's a beautiful morning," she said quietly.

"I think it's still night," he muttered in response though there was now a light blue tinge in the sky. She was so preoccupied looking out of the window Ginny never felt him approach her, but the next thing she knew his lips were touching her cheek and then an instant later he had turned around and vacated the hallways leaving her alone again.

One night. One kiss. One time.

That was all it took.

A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction in like five years or some ridiculous length of time like that, and my very first DM/GW, but it's been very fun to write so far. I appreciate all you lovely readers and especially those that are nice enough to leave me a review.

H-E


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Ginny made her way to the great hall in a day dream. For a while she tried to convince herself that she was angry, that he had in some unspeakable way 'taken advantage of her'. But if that had been his intent, why had he insured that her wand was returned to her? And why would he have taken such an insignificant token? She couldn't well accuse him of sexual harassment or any such thing when all he had done was kiss her on the cheek, and even this for the merest of moments.

The Great Hall was completely empty as she walked the length of the Gryffindor table and took her usual seat. The sky overhead still had edges of pink, of dawn, and no food was laid out. It occurred to her she had never been here so early before. She laid her head down on her hands. What had he been thinking? Why had he done that? Was it possible that this was part of some scheme, one of his vengeful plans to get to Harry? She shuddered, suddenly thinking of her boyfriend. What would he say if he knew?

Her heart was still beating abnormally fast when the first few people began entering the Hall. She kept reminiscing to the look in his cold gray eyes that brief instant where his lips had touched her. The very thought made her shutter. It made her feel... She could not complete the thought, even in her head it felt treacherous. Food began appearing on the plates, and she picked herself up some scrambled eggs and a bit of toast. Hermione came in to the Hall not long after, her hair bushier than usual as if she had slept in a funny position.

"Good Morning."

"Morning'" muttered Ginny hazily as she bit into her toast.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Oh, nothing..." she quickly hid her face behind the goblet of pumpkin juice taking a deep swig.

"You were up awfully early," commented the elder girl as she served herself fresh fruit and yogurt.

"Couldn't sleep much..." she let her words trail off. Her eyes were looking at the entrance of the Hallway. Draco Malfoy had finally arrived to breakfast. Without quite realizing it Ginny caught her breathe, and felt her heart speed up again. She was staring at him like she never had before. There was no hatred, and no annoyance, just wonder. What was he up to?

Hermione noticed the focus of her eyes, and assumed a quite different sentiment. "I'm going to talk to McGonagall about this," she said pointing a fork at him. "This is inexcusable."

Ginny agreed with her and then made sure to change the subject. Own Post arrived shortly after, and everyone looked up with eagerness at the Daily Profit. Last year the newspaper had nothing but lies and disappointments inside, but now for people like Ginny it had become a victorious jewel. Death Eaters were being triad every day. Imprisoned on mass. Kingsley Shacklebolt, had been elevated to Prime Minister. Her father was one of his righthand men, and Harry and Ron were aiding them in the government's reconstruction.

Hermione flipped through it and then smiling lifted up the third page for Ginny to see. On it her father stood, thin but proud, with Ron and Harry to either side of him. They had held a press conference on the matter of the Malfoy trials, which had been carrying on this entire month. Draco had not been tried since he had joined Voldemort while still being "under-age". Luscious and Narcissa on the other hand, had all of their assets seized and were in prison for the time being. Harry had a keen interest in the trail, and had even spoken twice for Narcissa, pleading with the council to let her go. Of course he had done no such thing for Luscious, but the fact that he had abandoned Voldemort before his fall was weighing matters for him. Ginny grimaced. That she could never agree with. After all he was the man that had pushed her into the darkest episode of her life.

For a moment sitting there in the common room, Ginny felt again the eyes of another boy, just as handsome as Malfoy, and certainly as dark. Even six years after the events, it was still difficult for her to forget Tom Riddle. For that miserable first year at Hogwarts, he had been her everything.

She stared up at Malfoy, and found his eyes looking straight back at her. It was no wonder he had turned Death Eater, he was eerily similar to Riddle. Her handsome, horrible Riddle.

ooOoo

Days passed in a blur, and Ginny felt like she had no control over them. Her classes were filled with strangers. Every one of her classmates seemed different now. And all the while there was Hermione telling her how important it was to focus, to put all of her energy into schoolwork. As if that were possible. Harry wrote twice. Her mother three times. She even got a letter from Bill, but all were left unanswered. She didn't want to talk, that was why she had gone away, couldn't they understand it?

As frequently as she could she was escape Hermione's academic eagerness and went around the school or it's grounds at night, wishing she had Harry's invisibility cloak and also wishing she were thinking of him and not Draco. But it was the blonde boy who was haunting her now. After so many years of wanting Harry, and loving him from a distance she had what she wanted and yet... it didn't feel the same. Something queer happened when Draco looked at her. It was a connection far stronger than the one she and boyfriend shared.

She bowed her head and ran her hands through her hair. Draco was in almost half of her classes, but he had turned oddly meek. He talked to no one, and worked quietly in the corner, amid cruel whispers and jaunting laughs. He didn't even look up when people mentioned his parent's trail. Hermione had gone to McGonagall as she said she would but the headmistress's answer had been just the kind of thing they expected.

"He is young, and he's asking for a due-over, I know what Albus would have done, and I want to continue on his legacy."

So that was the short of it. He was here for redemption. But everyone was keeping a close eye on him. The teachers hardly looked away from him the whole class. They kept their wands close. They often asked him to participate in discussions, as if this would limit his ability to spin wicked plot. Hermione thought it all laughable, but Ginny saw real effort in what Draco was doing. He was trying to change, she could see that.

It was closing in on October and she had spent an uncomfortable month, avoiding photographers and trying to write Harry insincere love letters. She was on her way to Hagrid's, the one place and the one person who seemed to agree with her strange mood when she spotted the pale blonde of Draco's head. He was seated beneath a series of great trees, in the rockier side of the slope that lead down to the Gatekeeper's cabin. He was alone.

Ginny couldn't contain herself. Putting her hands in the pocket of her jacket she moved towards the boy, the dry leaves crunching as she walked. He turned around to look at her, and for a moment his grey eyes betrayed something, call it surprise, or pleasure, but a second later he had guarded himself again.

She stared at the book open on his lap. It wasn't one of their textbooks, in fact she had never seen it before. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here. I'm on my way to Hagrid's." She had no idea why she had volunteered that information, and she felt like an idiot for doing so. It was difficult to control herself around him.

"It doesn't bother me."

He turned away from her almost dismissively, but Ginny had absolutely no intention of leaving. "What are you reading?"

"Nothing I want to," he answered, taking a long drag on his cigarette before putting it out on of the rocks.

Ginny moved closer to him and looked down at the white and orange cover. "It's not for class is it?"

He lifted his eyes, intense and grey, like the morning mist that hovered above the sea. "It's McGonagall's idea. Her condition actually for letting me stay here." He lifted up the book so she could see it's title Catcher in the Rye. "Muggle literature."

She laughed without meaning to. "You're kidding!"

"I wish. This is the fourth one, and it's all jabbering."

Without being invited to Ginny sat on the rock next to his. "I've never read a Muggle book."

"Bet you Granger's read them all."

Her fingers traced the spine of the book, dangerously close to his hand. "So, it's no good?"

He shrugged. "It's very recent. I don't like that, the other three were classical books. Besides," he lifted up the book in disdain. "This is American." Something about the tone he used when he said that word reminded her keenly of how he used to say Mudblood. Like it was the worst, most horrible thing in the planet.

Their hands were two inches apart, their knees almost touching. If Ginny turned her head around she could have kissed him, like she no longer wanted to kiss Harry. But at the same time, staring at him from this close it was hard not to remember all him and his people had done. In a flash she was standing up, and backing quite quickly away from him. She knew her face must have been red. He would surely suspect her ambiguity now.

"Did I say something?" he asked steadily getting to his feet.

Ginny shook her head and then as swiftly as she could began running down to Hagrid. Her hair pushed and pulled by the wind. Her eyes watering. It was their fault, his fault, that Fred was gone, that Bill was ravaged. Her father, Ron, everything could have been lost if he had had his way. By the time she came upon Hagrid, who was standing outside of his house with Fang Ginny was in tears. How could she be betraying everyone she knew like this? How could she be turning her back on the cause they had all fought so hard for?

The images of the dead surfaced in her mind. Tonks and Lupin. Sirius and Mad-eye. And Fred. Above all Fred. Hagrid rapped his arms around her gently without saying anything at all, and she cried into his moleskin overcoat, feeling she was eleven years old again. What was he doing to her.

ooOoo

A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed :)


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